WO2022030213A1

WO2022030213A1 - Wireless communication device and wireless communication method

Info

Publication number: WO2022030213A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/026663
Authority: WO
Inventors: 浩幸金谷; 嘉夫浦部; 智史高田; 太一三浦
Original assignee: パナソニックインテレクチュアルプロパティコーポレーションオブアメリカ
Priority date: 2020-08-05
Filing date: 2021-07-15
Publication date: 2022-02-10
Also published as: US20230276302A1; JPWO2022030213A1; EP4195798A1; KR20230047091A; BR112023002024A2; CN116058020A; EP4195798A4

Abstract

The present invention contributes to providing a wireless communication device and a wireless communication method with which it is possible to reduce the information amount of information transmitted and received between cooperating wireless communication devices. A first wireless communication device comprises a control unit that assigns an identifier to a second wireless communication device that is not included in a basic service set to which the first wireless communication device belongs, and a transmission unit that transmits a signal including the identifier.

Description

Wireless communication device and wireless communication method

This disclosure relates to a wireless communication device and a wireless communication method.

As a successor to the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 standard 802.11ax (hereinafter referred to as "11ax"), 802.11be (hereinafter referred to as "11be") technical specifications have been formulated. There is.

In 11be, the application of coordinated communication in which multiple wireless communication devices on the data transmitting side cooperate to transmit data to the wireless communication device on the receiving side is being considered.

However, in coordinated communication, the amount of information transmitted and received between the coordinated wireless communication devices has not been sufficiently examined.

The non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure contributes to the provision of a wireless communication device and a wireless communication method capable of reducing the amount of information transmitted and received between cooperating wireless communication devices.

The wireless communication device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a control for assigning an identifier to a second wireless communication device which is a first wireless communication device and is not included in the basic service set to which the first wireless communication device belongs. A unit and a transmission unit that transmits a signal including the identifier.

It should be noted that these comprehensive or specific embodiments may be realized in a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, and the system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium may be realized. It may be realized by any combination of.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of information transmitted and received between cooperating wireless communication devices can be reduced.

Further advantages and effects in one embodiment of the present disclosure will be apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or effects are provided by some embodiments and the features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not all need to be provided in order to obtain one or more identical features. There is no.

Diagram showing an example of AP and STA placement The figure which shows the application example of two cooperation methods Figure showing operation example of DL-DL communication Figure showing operation example of UL-UL communication Figure showing operation example of UL-DL communication Diagram showing an example of the format of Common info field Figure showing an example of User info field format A table showing examples of AID12 values Diagram showing an example of an information element of a beacon Diagram showing an example of an information element of an association request Diagram showing an example of an information element of an association response A diagram showing an example of the Capability Information format Figure showing operation example of RTS / CTS Diagram showing an example of the format of the frame control field of the control frame including RTS / CTS. Diagram showing an example of MAC frame types including RTS / CTS Figure showing an example of MU-PPDU frame format in 11ax Block diagram showing a partial configuration example of a wireless communication device A block diagram showing an example of a wireless communication device according to an embodiment. Diagram showing an example of UL-DL communication that cooperates with the C-SR method The figure which shows an example of the sequence of UL-DL communication in the cooperative set shown in FIG. The figure which shows the modification of the sequence shown in FIG. Diagram showing another example of AID12 A diagram showing an example of User Infofield based on FIG. 20. Diagram showing an example of User Infofield for new AP Diagram showing an example of information elements of association request for AP Diagram showing an example of information elements of association response for AP The figure which shows an example of the sequence which performs UL-DL communication in Example 3. Diagram showing another example of UL-DL communication arrangement The figure which shows the sequence which performs UL-DL communication by the cooperative system C-OFDMA

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(One embodiment)
[Cooperation method]
In 11be, for example, an access point (also referred to as a "base station", hereinafter referred to as an "AP (Access Point)"), which is a plurality of wireless communication devices on the signal transmitting side, is a terminal (a terminal (also referred to as an "AP (Access Point)") on the receiving side. The application of "STA (Station)")) and Multi-AP coordination (hereinafter referred to as "cooperative communication") for transmitting and / or receiving data is being considered.

Coordinated Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (hereinafter referred to as C-OFDMA) in which multiple APs transmit signals using different frequency bands, and multiple APs use the same frequency band as each other. Coordinated spatial reuse (hereinafter referred to as C-SR) for transmitting a signal can be mentioned (Non-Patent Document 1).

The two cooperation between C-OFDMA and C-SR will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1B. FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of AP and STA. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing an application example of the two cooperative methods.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the downlink (hereinafter, DL) data communication from AP1 to STA1 and the DL data communication from AP2 to STA4 use the same resource unit (hereinafter, RU) 1 and cooperate. It is executed using the method C-SR. RU2 is used for DL data communication from AP1 to STA2, and RU3 is used for DL data communication from AP2 to STA3. Coordinated communication is performed using cooperative C-OFDMA.

There are two types of communication: communication from AP to STA (hereinafter referred to as "DL communication") and communication from STA to AP (hereinafter referred to as "UL communication"). The forms of cooperative communication include, for example, a form in which two APs cooperate to perform DL communication together (hereinafter referred to as "DL-DL communication") and a form in which two APs cooperate to perform UL communication together (hereinafter referred to as "DL-DL communication"). , "UL-UL communication") and a form in which two APs cooperate to perform UL communication and DL communication (hereinafter referred to as "UL-DL communication") are being studied (see Non-Patent Document 2). ).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation example of DL-DL communication. As shown in FIG. 2, AP1 which is a master AP transmits a trigger frame (Slave TF) to AP2 and AP3 which are slave APs. Then, AP1, AP2, and AP3 cooperate with each other, and AP1, AP2, and AP3 transmit data 1, Data 2, and Data 3, which are downlink data, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation example of UL-UL communication. As shown in FIG. 3, AP1 which is a master AP transmits a trigger frame (Slave TF) as in FIG. 2. Then, AP1, AP2, and AP3 each transmit a trigger frame (Basic TF). Then, AP1, AP2, and AP3 cooperate with each other, and AP1, AP2, and AP3 receive the uplink data Data1, Data2, and Data3, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation example of UL-DL communication. FIG. 4 shows an example of operation to which C-SR is applied (see Non-Patent Document 3).

FIG. 4 shows the operations of AP1, AP2, STA1-1, STA1-2, STA2-1, and STA2-2. STA1-1 and STA1-2 are components of the basic service set (BSS) of AP1, and STA2-1 and STA2-2 are components of BSS of AP2.

In the "Preparation Phase" of FIG. 4, information indicating the capability of each device, information indicating the received power of each device (for example, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI)), and measurement report information are aggregated.

In the "Announcement Phase" of FIG. 4, AP1 transmits C-SR-A.

Then, in the "Transmission Phase" of FIG. 4, data is transmitted and received. For example, in FIG. 4, STA1-1, STA1-2, and AP2 cooperate with each other. Then, STA1-1 and STA1-2 perform UL transmission to AP1, and AP2 performs DL transmission to STA2-2.

As in the above example, in each form of cooperative communication, transmission control information and frames (triggers) for notifying transmission timing are transmitted and received. For example, Slave TF and Basic TF shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and C-SR-A shown in FIG. 4 are trigger frames.

UL communication triggers in 11ax (hereinafter referred to as UL trigger frame) are fields containing common information addressed to the STA to be triggered (hereinafter referred to as Common info field) and fields containing information addressed to individual STAs. It consists of (hereinafter referred to as User info field).

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the format of Common info field. The format shown in FIG. 5 is, for example, the same as the format shown in Figure 9-64b of Non-Patent Document 4. FIG. 5 shows a plurality of subfields included in the Common info field format.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the format of User info field. The format shown in FIG. 6 is the same as the format shown in Figure 9-64d of Non-Patent Document 4. FIG. 6 shows a plurality of subfields included in the User info field format.

The values included in the subfield (hereinafter, simply referred to as AID12) shown as "AID12" in FIG. 6 will be described. FIG. 7 is a table showing an example of the value of AID12. The table shown in FIG. 7 is, for example, the same as Table 9-31g of Non-Patent Document 4.

AID (associationIdentifier) 12 includes an STA identifier (a number for individually indicating STA). In the example of FIG. 7, the range of identifiers that can be assigned to STA is 1 to 2007.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an information element of a beacon. The information element shown in FIG. 8 is, for example, an excerpt from Table 9-27 of Non-Patent Document 5.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an information element of an association request. The information element shown in FIG. 9 is, for example, an excerpt from Table 9-29 of Non-Patent Document 5.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information element of an association response. The information element shown in FIG. 10 is, for example, an excerpt from Table 9-30 of Non-Patent Document 5.

The beacon of FIG. 8, the association request of FIG. 9, and the association response of FIG. 10 each include an information element called Capability Information.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the Capability Information format. The format shown in FIG. 11 is, for example, the same as Figure 9-68 of Non-Patent Document 5.

The range of AID and AID12 that can be specified as the identifier of STA is 1 to 2007 as shown in FIG. If multi-BSSID is supported, it will be limited to ²ⁿ -2007. It should be noted that n = log ₂ K, where K is the maximum possible number of BSSIDs (see Non-Patent Document 5: Section 9.4.2.6).

BSS (Basic Service Set) is a basic service set consisting of a certain AP and multiple STAs. The operation of STA connecting to AP in BSS is called associate.

BSS color (6bit value) is used to distinguish nearby APs. (See Non-Patent Document 4: Section 26.17.3)

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an operation example of RTS / CTS (Request to Send / Clear to Send). FIG. 12 shows an operation example similar to that of Figuer 10-7 of Non-Patent Document 5. The STA that receives the RTS and is designated as the recipient sends the CTS. When specifying multiple recipients, use MU-RTS instead of RTS.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the format of the frame control field of the control frame including RTS / CTS.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a type of MAC frame including RTS / CTS. FIG. 14 shows the changes in the values changed in 11ax. The contents shown in FIG. 14 are the contents shown in Table 9-1 of Non-Patent Document 4.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the frame format of the MU-PPDU in 11ax. FIG. 15 shows the format shown in Non-Patent Document 4.

In FIG. 15, the destination is indicated by the STA ID in the User field. For example, AID12 shown in FIG. 7 is used as the STAID.

The wireless communication device (for example, AP) smoothly transmits and receives information to and from each other by designating the identifier of the wireless communication device (for example, AP or STA) in each frame as described above.

Here, an example of the procedure in which STA, which is a component of BSS, associates with AP is shown. (1) The STA detects the AP by receiving the beacon. (2) The STA sends an association request to the AP. (3) The AP receives the association request and sends the association response to the STA. For example, when the BSS of AP1 is described as BSS_1, the STA associated with AP1 is a component of BSS_1, and the STA not associated with AP1 is not a component of BSS_1.

As the identifier of the associated STA, AID (information element of Order 3 in FIG. 10) or AID 12 (see FIG. 7, assigning AID to 1 to 2007) included in the association response is used. On the other hand, for example, it is considered that a MAC address (48 bits) is used for an identifier of a STA that is not a component of BSS_1 of AP1, that is, an STA that is not associated with AP1. A MAC address may be used as an identifier of an AP (for example, AP2) that is not a component of BSS_1.

As described above, when a certain AP points to a wireless communication device that is not a component of the BSS of the AP, the size of the identifier becomes large and the overhead increases.

Therefore, in a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, a wireless communication device and communication capable of instructing a wireless communication device (including, for example, STA and AP) that is not a component of the BSS of the AP with a small amount of information. Provide a method.

Overhead can be reduced by reducing the amount of information required to instruct STAs (including APs) that are not components of the BSS of the AP.

[Configuration of wireless communication system]
The wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least two source APs and one STA. In the following description, for example, the "wireless communication device" corresponds to an AP.

FIG. 16A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a part of the wireless communication device 10. The wireless communication control device 10 shown in FIG. 16A includes a control unit 11 and a transmission unit 12.

The control unit 11 assigns an identifier to a wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the wireless communication device 10 belongs. The transmission unit 12 transmits a signal including an identifier.

Hereinafter, as an example, an example in which at least two APs cooperate to perform UL-DL communication to a plurality of STAs will be described.

FIG. 16B is a block diagram showing an example of a wireless communication device according to the present embodiment. The wireless communication device 100 shown in FIG. 16B corresponds to, for example, AP and STA. The wireless communication device 100 includes a transmission packet generation unit 101, a wireless transmission / reception unit 102, a reception packet decoding unit 103, and a control signal generation unit 104.

The transmission packet generation unit 101 generates a transmission packet from transmission data from the processing unit of the upper layer and / or data generated by the control signal generation unit 104 (for example, control information), and transmits the generated packet to the wireless transmission / reception unit 102. Output.

The wireless transmission / reception unit 102 converts the transmission packet into a wireless transmission signal and transmits the wireless transmission signal via the antenna.

The wireless transmission / reception unit 102 receives the wireless reception signal, converts the wireless reception signal into a reception packet, and outputs the reception packet to the reception packet decoding unit 103.

The received packet decoding unit 103 decodes the received packet and outputs the received data to a processing unit of a higher layer (not shown). Alternatively, the received packet decoding unit 103 decodes the received packet and outputs the control information to the control signal generation unit 104.

The control signal generation unit 104 generates control information based on the transmission data, the control information output from the reception packet decoding unit 103, and at least one of the internal states, and the generated control information is transmitted to the transmission packet generation unit 101. Output to. For example, the control signal generation unit 104 generates control information regarding triggers, associations, and data communications.

<Example 1>
In the following, as an example, an example of cooperation in UL-DL communication based on Non-Patent Document 3 will be described. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of UL-DL communication that cooperates by the C-SR method.

FIG. 17 shows a set (referred to as a cooperative set) including AP1, AP2, STA1, and STA2. STA1 exists within the coverage area of AP1 and associates with AP1. STA2 exists within the coverage area of AP2 and associates with AP2. In FIG. 17, UL communication from STA1 to AP1 and DL communication from AP2 to STA2 are coordinated by the C-SR method.

AP1 is an AP (hereinafter referred to as Master AP) that is placed in the cooperative set and controls the cooperative set. AP2 is an AP (hereinafter referred to as Slave AP) that is arranged in the cooperative set and controlled by the Master AP. In addition, AP1 exists at a position that is not affected by the interference from AP2.

STA1 exists within the coverage area of AP1 and can associate with AP1. STA2 exists within the coverage area of AP2 and can associate with AP2. In addition, STA2 exists in a position that is not affected by the interference from STA1.

In the initial setting of the cooperative set, AP1 notifies AP2 of the identifier assigned to AP2 and the identifier of AP1. In the following, the identifier of AP is described as AP_ID. The maximum value of AP_ID may be the maximum number of APs installed in the cooperative set (maximum number of APs). For example, AP_ID is a value represented by several bits (for example, 4 bits).

If a Slave AP other than AP2 is deployed, AP1 may notify AP2 of the AP_ID of the AP other than AP2. Further, the notification from AP1 to AP2 may use a backhaul between AP1 and AP2, or may use another method.

In addition, although the example in which AP1 notifies AP_ID in the initial setting is shown, AP1 may notify AP_ID after the initial setting. For example, when a Slave AP (for example, AP3) is additionally arranged after the initial setting, AP1 may notify the AP_ID in the same manner as described above. In this case, AP1 may notify AP2 of AP_ID of AP3, or AP1 may notify AP_ID of AP2 to AP3 in the cooperative set.

UL-DL communication is executed in the cooperative set after the initial setting of the cooperative set and STA1 associates with AP1 and STA2 associates with AP2.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence of UL-DL communication in the cooperative set shown in FIG.

In FIG. 18, C-SR-A (C-SR Announcement) is a packet that integrates the "Trigger" transmitted from AP1 to STA1 and the "Announcement" transmitted from AP1 to AP2. "Trigger" contains information instructing the start of UL communication from STA1 to AP1. "Announcement" contains information instructing the start of DL communication from AP2 to STA2.

For the "Trigger", for example, the UL trigger frame shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 may be used. In this case, the identifier of the trigger transmission destination of "Trigger" may be AID12 indicating STA1.

The information notified by "Announcement" includes the information that specifies AP2 as the destination (trigger destination). AP_ID may be used as the information that specifies AP2.

STA1 receiving "Trigger" performs UL communication to send data to AP1, and AP2 receiving "Announcement" performs DL communication to send data to STA3.

In this way, by using AP_ID to specify the trigger transmission destination included in "Announcement", the amount of information (for example, the number of bits) used to specify the AP can be reduced, and the overhead can be reduced. For example, the number of bits can be reduced from 48 bits to 4 bits when AP_ID is used as compared with the case where a MAC address is used.

<Supplement>
In the above, an example of using AP_ID is shown, but another identifier may be used instead of AP_ID. For example, the Short ID may be used as an identifier for a STA (and / or AP) where AP1 is not a component of AP1's BSS. This allows AP1 to specify a STA that is not a component of AP1's BSS as a trigger destination.

Further, the target of the Short ID may be limited to the STA and / or AP in the cooperative set, or may be limited to the STA and / or AP to be coordinated.

Further, in the above, the example in which AP_ID is used to specify the transmission destination of the trigger in the cooperative method C-SR is shown, but AP_ID and / or ShortID may be used in the cooperative method other than the cooperative method C-SR. Alternatively, AP_ID and / or Short ID may be used in addition to the designation of the trigger transmission destination.

Further, in the above, the example in which the Master AP (AP1) transmits C-SR-A is shown, but the Slave AP (AP2) may transmit the C-SR-A. Furthermore, the control of the cooperative set may be performed by another device of the Master AP. In this case, each AP in the cooperative set including AP1 and AP2 may be a Slave AP.

Also, Short ID or AP_ID may be included in AID and / or AID12. This allows, for example, AP1 to specify a STA (including AP) that is not a component of AP1's BSS using the AID and / or AID12 shown in FIG. The Short ID or AP_ID may be assigned to AID and / or AID12 from 1 to m, or 2 ⁿ to 2 ⁿ + m. Here, m may be the maximum value of Short ID or AID. Further, a part of the unused area of AID12 (for example, 2008 to 2044 and 2047 to 4094 (see FIG. 7)) may be allocated to Short ID or AP_ID. Alternatively, the Short ID or AP_ID value may be assigned corresponding to another AID12 value. For example, if the AP_ID values 0-n are assigned to Slave APs, then the AID12 values 2008-2008 + n may be assigned to those Slave APs.

Further, the Master AP may centrally handle the STAs (including the Slave AP) in the cooperative set and assign AID and / or AID12. For example, some of the values 1 to 2007 assigned to the non-AP STA associated with the conventional AP are given to the Slave AP, and those values are not given to the non-AP STA. A predetermined range from 1 to 2007 (for example, 2000 to 2006) may be secured as a value for Slave AP, and those values may not be assigned to non-AP STA.

In addition, BSS color may be used to specify the AP to be included in AID and / or AID12. For example, a part of the unused areas of AID12 "2008 to 2044" and "2047 to 2094" may be allocated to BSS color. Alternatively, the areas "2045" and "2046" assigned in AID12 may be changed to "2073" and "2074", and the areas "2008" to "2072" may be assigned to BSS color.

Also, when AP_ID is included in AID12, the trigger instructing the start of UL-DL communication may be changed. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a modified example of the sequence shown in FIG. In FIG. 19, C-SR-A in FIG. 18 is replaced with UL trigger frame.

For example, the UL trigger frame may be used as a trigger to instruct the start of UL-DL communication, and the Announcement instructing the start of DL communication may not be used (it may not be transmitted). In this case, a UserInfo field for specifying DL communication may be added to the UL trigger frame, and the AP that is the source of DL communication may be specified by AID12 of the added UserInfofield. This eliminates the need for an announcement instructing the start of DL communication, and can reduce overhead.

Also, if the trigger that instructs the start of UL-DL communication is changed to UL trigger frame, some uses of the User Info field for specifying the AP may be changed.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another example of AID12. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of User Infofield based on FIG. 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 20, one of the unused areas of AID12 (for example, “2008”) may be designated as AP. When AID12 is specified by AP (for example, "2008"), the UserInfo field shown in FIG. 21 may be used. The User Info field shown in FIG. 21 changes the use of the specific area of the User Info field shown in FIG. 6 to the use of setting information (for example, AP_ID) for instructing an AP. For example, the specific area for which the usage is changed may be a total of 6 bits in the "UL FEC Coding Type", "UL HE-MCS", and "UL DCM" fields, and in some of these areas. It may be present, or areas other than these may be included. In addition, BSS color may be used instead of AP_ID for the information for instructing AP.

Also, a trigger with the AP specification added may be used instead of the UL trigger frame. For example, a format in which the number of APs is added may be specified in the Common info field in FIG. Then, the AP may be instructed by the User Info field for the new AP. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the User Info field for a new AP.

Note that FIG. 22 shows an example in which AP instructions are given by AP_ID, but BSS color may be used instead of AP_ID for AP instructions. Further, instead of adding the number of APs to the Common info field, a flag indicating the presence or absence of a User Info field following the User Info field for AP may be added.

Further, "Trigger" and "Announcement" may be integrated by using a multiplexing method such as OFDMA or MU-MIMO, or by using A-MPDU. Alternatively, the "Trigger" and "Announcement" may be separate PPDUs or packets. Instead of AP_ID included in the information notified by "Announcement", AID including AP_ID, AID12, or BSS color may be used.

For example, if "Trigger" and "Announcement" are integrated by OFDMA or MU-MIMO and sent by MU-PPDU, the STAID (see Fig. 15) in the User field that indicates the resource containing "Trigger" is ". A specific value such as "0" (the number pointing to the associated STA shown in FIG. 7), and the STAID in the User field indicating the resource containing "Announcement" is "2045" (association shown in FIG. 7). It may be another specific value such as STA (number pointing to AP) that is not. The resource including the "Trigger" may be, for example, at least one of a resource on the frequency axis (which may be referred to as a resource unit) or a spatial resource of MU-MIMO.

Further, one of the unused areas of AID12 (for example, "2047") may be specified by the number indicating the AP or the AP in the cooperative set. In this case, for example, by setting the STA ID that indicates the destination of the Announcement in the MU-PPDU to "2047", it is possible to avoid the reception operation of the STAs that are not associated with each other and reduce the power consumption of the STAs.

Further, one of the unused areas of AID12 (for example, "2048") may be specified by a number indicating an AP that is not assigned to AP_ID or is not included in the cooperative set. This makes it possible to access APs that are not assigned AP_ID or are not included in the cooperative set.

Further, the transmission power of AP2 may be calculated from "AP TX Power" and "UL Target RSSI" included in the trigger (for example, UL trigger frame shown in FIGS. 5 and 6). In this case, "UL Target RSSI" may specify a value at which the interference from AP2 to AP1 is equal to or less than the allowable value.

Also, in the transmission of AP2, beamforming with the null directed to AP1 may be performed.

<Example 2>
In Example 1 described above, an operation example in which the Master AP specifies the AP_ID is shown. Hereinafter, Example 2 shows an operation example in which a cooperative set is autonomously constructed and AP_ID is specified.

The AP that supports cooperative communication (hereinafter referred to as "installed AP") enables a flag (hereinafter referred to as "AP_ID flag") that indicates whether or not cooperative communication is supported, which is included in the beacon or probe response. As the AP_ID flag, for example, Reserve (for example, B6) of Capability Information shown in FIG. 11 may be used.

A newly installed AP (hereinafter referred to as "additional AP") receives a beacon or probe response from the installed AP at startup or after startup, and if the AP_ID flag is valid, the AP association request for AP is installed. Send to. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of the information element of the association request for AP.

The installed AP that received the AP association request sends the AP association response to the additional AP. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of information elements of the association response for AP.

Note that the installed AP may make a reassignment request to the additional AP when the AP_ID indicating the installed AP specified in the AP association request has already been assigned to another AP.

Alternatively, the installed AP may add AP_ID allocation availability information to the AP association response when the AP_ID indicating the installed AP specified in the AP association request has already been assigned to another AP.

Further, in this case, the installed AP may include the assignable AP_ID candidate information in the reassignment request or the AP association response. Further, in this case, the installed AP may include the AP_ID of another AP specified in the past association or the like (hereinafter referred to as “registered AP_ID”) in the association response for AP.

Further, in the above description, the AP_ID flag is added to the association request for AP and the association response for AP in order to distinguish it from the association request and the association response shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. .. For example, the distinction may be made by using a determination means different from the AP_ID flag. In this case, Capability Information may be left as the conventional information, or Capability Information may be excluded from the components. Further, the AP association request may be an information element including the AP_ID in the association request shown in FIG.

In this way, by associating between the additional AP and the installed AP, each other's AP_ID can be specified.

<Supplement>
The AP_ID may be specified using a beacon. For example, AP1 which is an installed AP may include AP_ID and / or registered AP_ID of AP1 in the beacon. This eliminates the need for AP_ID for the installed AP, which is an information element of the association request for AP.

In this case, AP2, which is an additional AP, may set AP_ID that does not overlap with the registered AP_ID included in the beacon to AP_ID of AP2, and add AP_ID of AP2 to the information element of the association request for AP. This eliminates the need for the AP_ID of the additional AP, which is an information element of the association response for AP.

Further, in the above, the operation example in which the AP_ID flag is included in the beacon or probe response is shown, but the AP_ID flag may not be included in the beacon or probe response. In this case, the additional AP may send an association request for the AP when it receives the beacon. Further, the installed AP may reject the association with the additional AP if the additional AP that sent the association request does not support cooperative communication. Alternatively, the installed AP may reject the association with the additional AP that sent the association request if the installed AP does not support cooperative communication.

Also, in the above, the operation example in which the AP_ID is specified by the installed AP or the additional AP is shown, but the Master AP may specify it. In this case, the installed AP may be the Master AP, or the installed AP may notify the instruction of the Master AP.

Also, the behavior of the association between the installed AP and the additional AP (between AP and AP) is the same as the behavior of the association between the STA and AP (between AP and STA), even if the AP_ID specification is added. good. For example, the procedure of authentication and / or key exchange performed by the association between AP and STA may be performed between AP and AP. As a result, data can be transmitted between APs and APs, and secure communication can be performed efficiently.

Further, the AP_ID notified by the association request, the association response, and the beacon may be AID or AID12 including the AP_ID shown in Example 1.

Also, when associating between APs and APs, you may use the Multiple BSSID function to define a BSS dedicated to the association between APs and APs. In this case, the value of a specific AID area is defined in the AP AID area, and each of the APs participating in the BSS may assign a value other than the AP AID area to the STA AID. This makes it possible to centrally manage the IDs of the cooperative AP and the affiliated STAs in the same AID space.

Also, IDs for communication destined for multiple cooperative APs may be defined. For example, if one of the nontransmitted BSSIDs in the Multiple BSSID is the BSSID dedicated to the cooperative AP, the value of the AID corresponding to the entire BSSID dedicated to the cooperative AP may be the ID for communication addressed to multiple cooperative APs. can.

Further, in the communication between APs, an ID indicating random access similar to ULOFDMA-based random access (UORA) of 11ax may be defined. That is, a special value of AP_ID and / or AID for AP may be defined for random access. For example, when defining a BSS dedicated to the AP-AP association of a cooperative AP, set AID = 0 to request information on the buffered data for cooperative communication from any AP, and request the buffer status. A trigger frame (BSRP Trigger frame) may be sent, or an existing AP may send a trigger frame with AID = 2045 so that the pre-association AP can send an association request.

Further, the association between APs and APs is not limited to the use of cooperative communication of a plurality of APs, and may be used when a plurality of APs perform communication other than cooperative communication. For example, an association between APs may be used when a plurality of APs cooperate to perform functions other than communication such as distance measurement, position detection, or sensing.

<Example 3>
In Example 3, similarly to Example 1, in UL-DL communication that cooperates by the C-SR method, an operation of determining whether or not DL communication is possible after trigger transmission will be described. The configuration of UL-DL communication is the same as in Example 1.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence for performing UL-DL communication in Example 3. In FIG. 25, the transmission of the UL trigger frame and the UL communication (transmission / reception of UL data) between AP1 and STA1 may be the same as in Example 1. In FIG. 25, AP2 that has received the UL trigger frame transmits RTS with STA2 as the receiving destination. If STA2 succeeds in receiving RTS (that is, if the interference effect of data transmission / reception in AP1 is small), STA2 sends CTS to AP2. Here, the case where STA2 succeeds in receiving RTS means that interference from other peripheral radios to STA2 (for example, interference with STA2 by transmitting / receiving data to AP1) has little effect on RTS reception. May be. Then, when the AP2 receives the CTS, it determines that DL communication is possible, and transmits data to STA2 (DL communication).

In the above, an example of transmitting RTS is shown, but if there are multiple candidates for the DL destination of AP2, MU-RTS may be used.

In this way, by determining whether or not DL communication is possible using CTS, unnecessary signal transmission (for example, DL transmission in a state where interference is large and the receiving destination STA cannot receive) can be stopped.

<Example 4>
In Example 3, a method of determining whether or not DL communication is possible by RTS / CTS is shown. In Example 4, an example of using a frame instead of the RTS / CTS used in Example 3 will be described. In the following, an example, a frame called RTS + mes and / or a frame called CTS + mes (hereinafter, may be collectively referred to as RTS + mes / CTS + mes frame) is used. The method for measuring the amount of interference is shown.

In Example 4, the transmission of UL trigger frame and UL communication may be the same operation as in Example 1. AP2 that received the UL trigger frame sends RTS + mes with STA2 as the receiving destination. If STA2 succeeds in receiving RTS + mes, STA2 measures the received power in the same frequency band as RTS + mes. The received power in the same frequency band as RTS + mes may correspond to the interference power due to the data transmission of AP1. Then, STA2 sends CTS + mes with information about the received power added to the CTS.

In this way, by using the RTS + mes / CTS + mes frame, the STA that received the CTS + mes notifies the source of the amount of interference measured by the STA, and the source is appropriate in consideration of the interference. Data transmission with MCS selected is possible, and throughput is improved.

<Supplement>
The RTS + mes format may be the same as the RTS format, or may be a format in which information on the frequency band (also referred to as tone) measured by CTS + mes is added to the RTS format. By adding the frequency band information, the frequency band measured by CTS + mes can be specified.

Further, the free area of the MAC frame type shown in FIG. 14 may be used to specify the type of RTS + mes and / or CTS + mes. For example, let RTS + mes be "010000" and CTS + mes be "010001". Also, in the RTS and / or CTS frame format, any of the specific bits in the frame control field shown in FIG. 13 may be changed to indicate RTS + mes / CTS + mes. For example, the specific bits whose usage is changed are "To DS", "From DS", "More Frag", "Retry", "Protected Frame", and "+ HTC / Order" shown in FIG. It may be either. For example, when the frame format is RTS + mes and / or CTS + mes, the corresponding bit (for example, "To DS") may be set to 1 to instruct the change of use.

<Example 5>
Example 1 shows an example of UL-DL communication that cooperates by the C-SR method, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing another example of the arrangement of UL-DL communication. For example, as shown in FIG. 26, when the arrangement of each device in the cooperative set is such that STA2 is affected by the interference from STA1, UL communication from STA1 to AP1 (transmission of UL data) and AP2 to STA2. The DL communication (transmission of DL data) to the UL-DL communication may be performed by the cooperative method C-OFDMA.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a sequence in which UL-DL communication is performed by the cooperative C-OFDMA. The operation shown in FIG. 27 is the same as the operation by the cooperative method C-SR method shown in Example 1 (for example, FIG. 19). However, the frequency band used for UL communication from STA1 to AP1 specified by the UL trigger frame and the frequency band used for DL communication from AP2 to STA2 are set to different frequency bands. Although FIG. 27 shows an example in which "UL trigger frame" is used, "Trigger" and "Announcement" may be used as shown in FIG. In this case, the frequency band used for UL communication from STA1 to AP1 specified by "Trigger" and "Announcement" and the frequency band used for DL communication from AP2 to STA2 are set to different frequency bands.

In this way, by setting the frequency bands used for UL communication and DL communication to different frequency bands by the same operation as UL-DL communication that cooperates with the C-SR method, it is possible to support the case of the cooperative method C-OFDMA. ..

Note that in FIG. 27, AP2 may determine that C-OFDMA is used when the frequency band assigned to DL communication does not overlap with the frequency band assigned to UL communication. Further, AP2 may determine that C-SR is used when the frequency band assigned to DL communication overlaps with the frequency band assigned to UL communication. If it is determined to be C-SR, AP2 may perform the operation shown in Example 3 or Example 4.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which a plurality of APs perform cooperative communication with the STA is shown, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, some of the plurality of APs may be replaced with STA. For example, the present disclosure may be applied when one or more APs and one or more STAs perform cooperative communication with another STA. Alternatively, the present disclosure may be applied when two or more STAs perform cooperative communication with another STA.

Further, the term representing each signal (each packet) in the above-described embodiment is an example, and the present disclosure is not limited to this.

Further, the "... part" in the above-described embodiment is a "... circuitry", a "... device", a "... unit", or a "... module". You may.

This disclosure can be realized by software, hardware, or software linked with hardware. Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiment is partially or wholly realized as an LSI which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiment is partially or wholly. It may be controlled by one LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of one chip so as to include a part or all of functional blocks. The LSI may include data input and output. LSIs may be referred to as ICs, system LSIs, super LSIs, and ultra LSIs depending on the degree of integration. The method of making an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Further, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that replaces an LSI appears due to advances in semiconductor technology or another technology derived from it, it is naturally possible to integrate functional blocks using that technology. The application of biotechnology may be possible.

This disclosure can be implemented in all types of devices, devices, and systems (collectively referred to as communication devices) that have communication functions. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (mobile phones, smartphones, etc.), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (laptops, desktops, notebooks, etc.), cameras (digital stills / video cameras, etc.). ), Digital players (digital audio / video players, etc.), wearable devices (wearable cameras, smart watches, tracking devices, etc.), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth telemedicines (remote health) Care / medicine prescription) devices, vehicles with communication functions or mobile transportation (automobiles, planes, ships, etc.), and combinations of the above-mentioned various devices can be mentioned.

Communication devices are not limited to those that are portable or mobile, but are all types of devices, devices, systems that are not portable or fixed, such as smart home devices (home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or or Includes measuring instruments, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "Things" that can exist on the IoT (Internet of Things) network.

Communication includes data communication by a combination of these, in addition to data communication by a cellular system, a wireless LAN system, a communication satellite system, etc.

The communication device also includes devices such as controllers and sensors that are connected or connected to communication devices that perform the communication functions described in the present disclosure. For example, it includes controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by communication devices that perform the communication functions of the communication device.

Communication devices also include infrastructure equipment, such as base stations, access points, and any other device, device, or system that communicates with or controls these non-limiting devices. ..

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit includes the identifier in an association identification field in the user information field of the signal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit assigns the identifier to a reserved value in the association identification field.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit assigns the identifier to the second wireless communication device that performs at least one of uplink communication and downlink communication in cooperation with the first wireless communication device.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first wireless communication device is a master access point that controls the second wireless communication device.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit includes the identifier in the signal that is an association request.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit sets the destination specified in the user information field of the signal, which is a trigger frame, to the identifier.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit sets information indicating that the destination is an access point in the user information field of the signal which is a trigger frame, and the information field for the non-access point in the user information field. The identifier is set in.

The wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a first wireless communication device, and is a transmission unit that transmits a first control signal to the second wireless communication device and then transmits a second control signal. And a control unit for determining whether or not downlink transmission to the second wireless communication device is possible in the spatial reuse cooperative method based on the response to the second control signal.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the response includes information about the amount of interference determined based on the second control signal received in the second wireless communication device.

In the wireless communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first wireless communication device assigns an identifier to a second wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the first wireless communication device belongs, and the identifier. Sends a signal containing.

The wireless communication device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a first wireless communication device, and includes a signal including an identifier of the first wireless communication device which is not included in the basic service set to which the second wireless communication device belongs. A receiving unit, which receives from the second wireless communication device.

In the wireless communication method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first wireless communication device includes a signal including an identifier of the first wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the second wireless communication device belongs. Received from the second wireless communication device.

The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in the Japanese application of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-133229 filed on August 5, 2020 are all incorporated herein by reference.

One embodiment of the present disclosure is useful for mobile communication systems.

10,100 Wireless communication device 11 Control unit 12 Transmission unit 101 Transmission packet generation unit 102 Wireless transmission / reception unit 103 Received packet decoding unit 104 Control signal generation unit

Claims

The first wireless communication device,
A control unit that assigns an identifier to a second wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the first wireless communication device belongs, and a control unit.
A transmitter that transmits a signal containing the identifier,
Wireless communication device equipped with.
The control unit includes the identifier in the association identification field in the user information field of the signal.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1.
The control unit assigns the identifier to the reserved value of the association identification field.
The wireless communication device according to claim 2.
The control unit assigns the identifier to the second wireless communication device that performs at least one of uplink communication and downlink communication in cooperation with the first wireless communication device.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1.
The first wireless communication device is a master access point that controls the second wireless communication device.
The wireless communication device according to claim 4.
The control unit includes the identifier in the signal which is an association request.
The wireless communication device according to claim 4.
The control unit sets the destination specified in the user information field of the signal, which is a trigger frame, in the identifier.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1.
The control unit sets information indicating that the destination is an access point in the user information field of the signal which is a trigger frame, and sets the identifier in the information field for the non-access point in the user information field.
The wireless communication device according to claim 1.
The first wireless communication device,
A transmission unit that transmits a second control signal after transmitting the first control signal to the second wireless communication device, and a transmission unit that transmits the second control signal.
A control unit that determines whether or not downlink transmission to the second wireless communication device is possible in the spatial reuse cooperative method based on the response to the second control signal.
A wireless communication device equipped with.
The response includes information about the amount of interference determined based on the second control signal received in the second radio communication device.
The wireless communication device according to claim 9.
The first wireless communication device is
An identifier is assigned to the second wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the first wireless communication device belongs.
Sending a signal containing the identifier,
Wireless communication method.
The first wireless communication device,
A receiving unit that receives a signal including an identifier of the first wireless communication device that is not included in the basic service set to which the second wireless communication device belongs from the second wireless communication device.
Wireless communication device.
The first wireless communication device is
A signal including an identifier of the first wireless communication device not included in the basic service set to which the second wireless communication device belongs is received from the second wireless communication device.
Wireless communication method.